Leaving on a Jet Plane…

Hey y’all! I write to you with mixed emotions from a hotel room in Loveland, CO. I’ve been here all week as the guest of Resurrection Fellowship, where I’ve been teaching my book Heart Wide Open for the last three evenings. Rez (as they are more informally known), has been recording these sessions to produce a DVD of the event. Let it be known that I am officially in love with these people. They could not have been any nicer, any more welcoming, or any more invested in this project. I would love to thank those who built the set, ran the cameras, manned the sound booth etc.., but I would surely leave someone out. Let’s just say that Pastor Adam, head of the media department, rocks along with his talented team. (I hope that was safe enough!)

I’m happy, happy, happy to be catching a flight early in the a.m. and getting home to my man, my dog, and the rest of my family and friends. I will, however, leave a part of my heart here in Colorado.

I’m truly going to need some time to process the selfless effort so many amazing people gave to Heart Wide Open this week. It’s a very long list that includes Pastor Jonathan Wiggins and his wife Amy who first conceived and extended this invite months ago, and their incredible staff who worked tirelessly to pull it off! And whatever can I say about those who attended– people in the middle of a hundred year flood who gave up three evenings to be in the audience! Words fail me on that one. They were patient and engaged and now they are family. I will be taking sweet memories of them all back to Louisiana with me…

And what can I say about all the support I had from home this week? My man is harvesting, but he sent me off with his full support and prayers. My mother couldn’t make the trip, but the Queen of Us All was “into” helping me prepare for it with fashion advice and contributions in the form of clothes and jewelry!  My daughter flew in from Houston to share the moment (leaving her boys with my sister Rhonda from Dallas who served as a gracious babysitter and freed Jessica to make the trip!), and my daughter-in-law Carey, precious friend Aubrey, and BFF from forever, Rhonda Perry, were all here running errands and acting as the most involved hair and makeup people on the planet. Trust you me, they did everything they could with what they had to work with! Why Hollywood isn’t blowing up their cellphones is beyond me!

I’ll tell you more as time goes by. (You know I will.) For now, I just had to touch base with my All Things Southern friends. Y’all have a great big day and I’ll “see” you on the air Monday evening for ATS LIVE! My special guest will be Timothy Lewis, author of Forever Friday! Awesome book– it’s one that I gladly read and endorsed. I think y’all will love it, too.

Hugs, Shellie

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson is an author, speaker, and radio host known as the Belle of All Things Southern. You’re invited to join her at her home on the web for an ongoing celebration of All Things Southern and the pursuit of Jesus– who is everything that is holy and true.

P.S. Heart Wide Open won’t release until March 18th, 2014 but these things have to be done in advance. THANK YOU to all who have asked when you get your copy. I may remind you once or nine hundred times before the big day.